Everton defender Matthew Pennington has revealed that former Chelsea and England captain John Terry was his footballing hero as a child.
Terry, 36, has enjoyed a truly successful footballing career, winning five Premier League titles, five FA Cup trophies, a Europa League and Champions League trophy with Chelsea.
The defender decided to end his 22-year spell at Stamford Bridge last season and he is currently available on a free transfer this summer.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Pennington was full of praise for Terry stating that he was the best player in his position in England.
“Once I started playing in defence, that was someone who I looked up to and hopefully I can emulate his success,” he said.
“As a young centre-half growing up, he was the best English centre-half of the time.
“Captained his country, won trophies and that’s something I’d like to do myself.”
Pennington’s comments might come as a surprise to a majority of Everton fans who might have expected the defender to name club captain Phil Jagielka as his footballing hero.
Jagielka has been plying his trade at Goodison Park for a decade and he has also been a regular for his country, making a total of 40 international appearances for the England national team.
Pennington managed to break his way into the Everton first-team during the 2015-16 season where he made a total of four Premier League appearances.
The 22-year-old central defender missed the majority of last season due to a hamstring injury, but he still managed to score his first ever goal for the club in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Anfield at the beginning of April.